Talking points: Garcia has made financial reform and public safety his main talking points so far in the campaign.

Pros and cons: Garcia touts his experience managing the sheriff's department in the nation's third-largest county – with roughly 5,100 employees and a $415 million budget – as proof that he can run City Hall, saying he inherited a department in turmoil and turned it around. He joined the mayoral field just two weeks after firing six jail supervisors and suspending 29 others for their treatment of a mentally ill inmate who was left for weeks in a filthy cell, however, one of several of several jail-related incidents opponents have only begun to make him discuss.

(Note: The Houston Chronicle submitted these questionnaires to each campaign and asked that the candidates fill them out themselves. The responses have been edited for style, formatting and spelling.)

1. What is the biggest issue or challenge facing Houston?

Our most significant challenge is our overall city finances. We have been operating a structurally unbalanced system for too long. The biggest driver of this issue is our unpaid pension obligations. While I strongly believe that we must keep our promises to current retirees and employees so that they know their retirement is secure, I believe we need to take a holistic look at all of the city finances, including pensions, to find an efficient Houston solution going forward. Some people approach the pensions as three silos outside of the city's finances, but I feel that such an approach misses the opportunity to redefine how our pension obligations play a role in our overall city finances. My whole career has been committed to public safety, and, as an HPOPS retiree, I have personal skin in the game when it comes to any pension negotiations. I am committed to bringing all parties to the table to craft a local solution that allows for the city to keep its promises to public employees while still maintaining critical infrastructure and the hiring of the public safety personnel we need to keep Houston safe.

Following closely behind the city's finances, we also must address our transportation and transit needs. Our economy cannot grow if our city cannot move effectively, so I plan to work on an integrated, multimodal transportation system and smart development plan that allows for more Houstonians to move by bus, bike, train, and by foot. We must plan for the immediate future to create mobility initiatives that are ready to accommodate the additional 1 million new residents expected to call the greater Houston region home by 2025. I'm committed to completing the trail network and environmental restoration in our Bayou Greenways 2020 plan, which will give us the largest urban trail network in the country. I'm also committed to coordinating access to these trails with our mass transit network.

Garcia on pensions.

2. Pensions: How would you describe Houston's pension situation? Do you agree reform is needed, and if so how would you pursue it?

The three pension systems, HMEPS, HPOPS, and HFRRF, all present a challenge for the city budget in the near term due to the increased benefits that were implemented in 2001 under what we later learned was inaccurate actuarial data. The city was able to meet and confer with HMEPS and HPOPS to make adjustments to the benefit structures that are more sustainable and allow the budget flexibility critical to maintaining public safety, infrastructure, and other core city services.

At this point, the city has not been able to negotiate a similar deal with the HFRRF due to state statute; therefore, the city's contributions to HFRRF are expected to remain at the financially stressful level of over 30 percent of payroll over a long term period. It is absolutely imperative that we maintain city services and build the infrastructure necessary to remain a world class city with a great quality of life in the future. As mayor, if I have the ability to negotiate with all pension systems, I am confident I can work to make sure that the city keeps its promises to our retired public safety personnel and city workers while negotiating necessary adjustments to maintain the services and infrastructure that all residents deserve.

Additionally, I believe the city needs and deserves equal representation on each of the pension boards. Our employees and the city are partners in this endeavor, and we should have equal say in decisions made by the pension boards. I believe we need a higher level of transparency in these organizations. For example, why would the HFRRF need to spend 30 percent (almost half a million dollars) of the total professional services budget on lobbyists for government relations? In a more substantial piece of transparency, the city needs to see the same actuarial data that the boards see to make informed decisions.

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I agree that we need to reform our pension systems. There are a number of options available to us going forward that we should examine and see if it makes fiscal sense for the city. Already, through our local meet and confer process with the HPOPS and HMEPS systems we have been able to make certain changes that have helped the city. In Los Angeles, the city and its employees union negotiated an early retirement incentive program that was projected to save the city $267 million in the first year and $1.5 billion over five years. Houston has changed the benefits structure for new hires, such as when I served on City Council in 2004. These are just three examples. I believe there are a number of different approaches that could work for our situation and on day one, I will begin to tailor the best practices we've seen from around the country to craft a solution for our city.

3. Taxes and city budget:

a. Do you think Houston's taxes or fees should be increased for any reason? (For example: Lifting the voter-imposed cap that limits the revenue Houston can collect from property taxes.)

I don't believe that we should introduce any new taxes or fees. For any of our existing fees, I believe we should have periodic assessments to ensure they are in line with the current market rates.Identifying areas of increased efficiency in the present $5 billion budget will be essential to maintaining core services without raising taxes. As mayor, I intend to bring the same creative approach and strong leadership to city government that I brought to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. While I plan to increase tax revenue we bring in through policies that grow our local tax base, I think there's lots of places in the city budget where we could get more with less. This will be accomplished in part by embracing a businesslike attitude toward city services that will include a commitment to customer service and project completion. It was through the use of this customer service strategy, technology, smart business practices, and innovative leadership that we were able to save $200 million over six years at the sheriff's office without laying off a single employee.

b. What areas of the budget would you cut, if any? Where would you put that money?

I would identify arbitrary administrative costs and fees that the city charges itself, ranging from office lease fees in city-owned buildings to project management fees that are more than double private sector rates. Whether those savings are general or enterprise funds, I would reprogram those dollars into appropriate uses.

Additionally, we have to take a close look at the causes of overtime pay and cut the amount of overtime we're paying. As sheriff, we were able to cut our overtime pay from $40 million in 2009 to $6 million by 2015. We did this through effective hiring of straight time personnel and were able to reprogram overtime dollars saved into additional personnel.

Also, we will look for administrative functions that can be automated, which will allow us to redeploy existing personnel into other essential operations. One small example of this strategy was when we moved the alarm permitting process from an in-person paper form at the sheriff's office to an online process. This change was designed to improve customer service for residents wanting to comply with the law. It allowed us to redeploy existing personnel into other operations that were in need of additional staffing.

The demands on the city budget are indeed high and the demands will continue to increase because Houston is a city in growth mode. Although we are confident that we can identify efficiencies to fund our core services, some tough decisions will need to be made. We will engage the residents of Houston to assist us in making decisions that will better serve them. The use of resident input in a participatory budgeting process will allow us to better set spending priorities and to make tough decisions on where to cut back.

4. Public safety:

a. Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland has voiced concern about understaffing at the city's police department, last year requesting $105 million to hire hundreds of new officers over the next five years. Do you think HPD's staffing concerns are valid? If so, would you fund McClelland's request and how would you do it?

Garcia on policing.

I am certainly receptive to the idea of adding more HPD officers to keep our city safe, however I will reserve full judgment on the funding amount until I can better review the existing department operations.

Looking forward, I believe an effective police force will require adequate staff, but it will also require us to review the current operations, identify inefficiencies, and become even more innovative in our approach to policing.

The HPD budget is relatively lean and inflexible, with over 90 percent of the budget already allocated to personnel. We will need to be creative in identifying cost-effective solutions to increase cadet recruitment, increase clearance rates, and reduce crime.

Being a former Houston police officer and city council member, I have an intimate knowledge of the HPD as well as years of experience working with the community on public safety issues. While on the City Council I paid specific attention to the HPD's recruitment needs and worked to increase the number of cadet academy classes to bring more HPD officers into the department. As the chair of City Council's Public Safety and Homeland Security committee, I led the effort to use real time data more effectively with the creation of the Real Time Crime Center.

Around half of our HPD officers are at or near retirement age, so it's critical that we start working to build up the next generation of Houston police officers. I'd like to work more closely with HISD to identify apprentice pathways into a law enforcement career for interested high school students. As sheriff, I created the largest Police Explorers program in Texas and second largest in America (only behind New York City). This program has already produced deputies who started as Explorers, became detention officers, and are now patrolling the streets of Houston and Harris County.

This program was successful because I integrated it into our recruiting and hiring strategy.While the minimum age to enter HPD is currently 21 years of age, I'd like to explore working with HISD to allow students from the High School for Law Enforcement and other area high schools to intern and/or work at the department as civilians until they reach the age of 21.

b. The city's criminal justice facilities are run down and city officials say they are inadequate for their current needs. Would you pursue a new justice complex? If so, how?

We are definitely in need of a new justice complex. That said, and in order to maximize its usefulness, we must be deliberate in determining what the complex might include and where the funding will come from. After speaking with all stakeholders and identifying an appropriate funding source we will be able to take material steps in making a justice complex and other criminal justice facilities a reality.

One thing that will help ease some of the pressure on our criminal justice needs is the construction of the new Houston-Harris County Joint Processing Center that will break ground this fall. We will be able to shut down the city jails and officers will be able to return to patrol much more quickly with the new streamlined process. I was proud to support this as a City Councilman and proud to get it passed countywide as the sheriff in the 2013 general election.

5. Infrastructure :

a. Would you support a proposition to repeal or greatly change ReBuild Houston?

I believe the ReBuild Houston program is an important part of our city's approach to addressing our street and drainage infrastructure issues.

However, I believe there is unnecessary confusion among stakeholders and the public regarding the program. If elected, I would implement a number of reforms including, but not limited to:

• More transparency in how the money is being used

• More frequent updates on the financials of the program

• Allow for more flexibility in our CIP/needs-based evaluation process for projects

• Incorporate regional detention into the program if possible

• Public meetings and access for the project decision meetings process so staff can justify the "worst first" approach findings that the ordinance requires.

Additionally, I believe the efficiencies and savings we can identify in a comprehensive review of the Public Works & Engineering (PWE) department should ultimately be reprogrammed into more projects that are sorely needed across the city.

b. Would you reallocate money (and how much) for road maintenance? How would you spend it?

I think that road maintenance and flood mitigation are not necessarily mutually exclusive projects. Well planned and maintained roadways enhance our city's ability to function in times of heavy rainfall.

While I would need to formally review departmental operations to comment more completely, I do feel that PWE has available resources that could potentially be reprogrammed or leveraged more effectively.

The current 15 percent project management fee that PWE charges could generate around $30 million in reprogrammed funding if we adopted the industry standard management rate of 6 percent to 7 percent.

c. The streets currently are being rebuilt to handle a "100-year" rain event, meaning the worst 1 percent of storms. Would you increase the design standards, and if so how much more money would you spend?

I will defer to engineers in determining the adequate design standards for our major street projects. However, I do believe that we can more effectively utilize technology to better handle our major flooding events. Fully leveraging the abilities of TransStar's Traffic Control Center and installing flood sensors in problematic underpasses can better assist our public safety personnel in shutting down roadways before motorists encounter life-threatening situations. This will also allow the city to more promptly reopen roadways after a major flooding event by limiting the number of flooded cars needing removal. This is another area where city responsiveness could likely be improved by better utilizing big data.

d. Should the city take on a greater role in sidewalk construction and repairs?

Yes. Building a mobility infrastructure that can accommodate the population we are expecting over the next two decades will require becoming a more pedestrian friendly city. Sidewalks are a central part of a complete streets program aimed at more functional urban mobility and encouragement of residents away from cars as their sole mode of transportation.

I supported Mayor White's Safe Sidewalk program and if funding becomes available, I would like to expand that program. As I learned while working for Mayor Bob Lanier, his "Neighborhood to Standards" program made significant improvements to our city. Oftentimes, the chief factor in making these kind of improvements is to have a city leader make it a priority.

6. Mobility:

a. What should Metro's priorities be over the next decade? Would you push for the completion of the University Line or commuter rail?

Garcia on Metro's priorities.

I have always been a strong supporter of the Metro rail as I advocated for as a council member. I was thrilled to ride the light rail line down Fulton to my campaign's grassroots kickoff event in Moody Park.

I support the completion of the University Line as the voters approved in 2003. I support commuter rail, but I also will keep an open mind towards transit solution that can be addressed by bus rapid transit in dedicated lanes. As mayor, I will support initiatives that promote increasing ridership along the new light rail lines, as I believe that growing ridership will correspondingly increase economic development along the routes.

Additionally, promoting the expansion and improvement of Metro's bus network will be a focus of my administration, as many Houstonians are mass transit dependent. Houstonians spoke when they voted for the expansion of the University line, but we need to work out the details — including placing a stop at the Gulfton apartments — and locate the funding to make this a reality. Making sure bus lines connect to the existing light rail, any eventual commuter rail, and the growing hike and bike trail network being developed as part of the Bayou Greenways 2020 project is vital, because a truly integrated network can increase bus, rail, and bicycle ridership. Pedestrian needs will not be ignored in an integrated transit plan, which will incentivize sidewalk construction near stops and will solicit strategic public-private partnerships aimed at planting new shade corridors.

Also, the successful implementation of the Metro Reimagining Plan will be essential to improving the bus network and more fully integrating bus transit into the citywide rail and bike transit infrastructure. The successful rollout of this plan will reduce wait times to no more than 15 minutes on 22 essential bus routes, while maintaining the same trip times on weekends as are available during the week. The plan also aims to make routes more user friendly by committing the network to a simpler grid plan, rather than the current downtown centric plan.

b. Would you seek to encourage modes of transportation other than automobiles? If so, what and by what means?

As mayor, I'll continue the trend of making Houston's transit system more integrated and multimodal. Through the use of bus, bike, and train, our city can achieve greater economic growth and gains in quality of life as we continue to orient more people away from the exclusive use of cars as transportation. I've been encouraged by the progress made by Metro over the past few years, which saw a general improvement in fiscal transparency and the expansion of bus and train lines to areas in need of service.

c. Do you support the Texas Department of Transportation's $6 billion-plus plan to remake I-45 downtown? Why or why not?

Yes, I support the plan. Change is necessary to the current I-45 transportation infrastructure through downtown. The congestion that Houstonians face on a daily basis reduces our quality of life and comes with significant costs in the form of travel time, fuel costs and truck freight moving costs. Additionally, Houston is a city in growth mode that will see increased pressure placed on our transportation systems. The Houston gridlock is here to stay unless we make the necessary investments to our highway infrastructure — one part of a greater multimodal integrated transportation program.

As mayor, I will work closely with HGAC and with our transit partners at TXDOT, Harris County, and the FTA to prepare Houston's transit infrastructure for the future. Our current traffic congestion issues will only get worse as Harris County continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country.

One ultimate goal of any major freeway project should be to keep inter-city transportation off of neighborhood streets as much as possible, especially heavy haul transportation. Illegal overweight loads passing through neighborhoods are a primary cause of the significant damage to smaller roads in many parts of Houston. As mayor, I will work aggressively to make sure heavy haul violators are discouraged from using neighborhood routes and heavily punished when they do. TxDOT has begun to more vigorously enforce laws that identify weight limits for certain vehicles and trailers and as mayor I will continue this collaborative effort to support the enforcement of laws that ensure road quality and the safety of the public.

d. The location for the Houston station of the proposed Houston-Dallas high speed train has yet to be selected. Where would you suggest placing it?

A high speed line that connects two major cities should allow the rider door-to-door access to the core of each city. I am encouraged by the private venture initiative to build the high speed line and I was relieved to see the initiative survive the most recent legislative session. As mayor, I will work to allay concerns of our rural neighbors to the north and support this exciting private project. While we are still a long way from deciding the final logistics of such a project, I believe that the Houston station should have a downtown destination.

7. Economic development:

a. Houston is consistently ranked among the cities with the worst income inequality and income segregation in the country. What do you think are the root causes? What should be done about it?

I believe that we need to grow our economy for One Houston, where all communities and neighborhoods share in our robust, prospering economy. We cannot achieve this goal without recognizing and addressing the income inequality and segregation issues that exist in our city. Although there are several causes, one component of economic development that we must focus on is our public school dropout problem, which often puts a promising life on track for a life of poverty. Once these young lives drop out of the public school system, they become a challenge for our city, for our neighborhoods, our businesses, our police, and our jails. This is why the mayor must make public education a chief priority. As the sheriff, I supported enhancing early childhood education opportunities and focused on GED and HCC educational programs inside the county jail. I will continue this emphasis as Mayor of Houston.

Houston is a world class city and an active participant in the global economy. We must be able to educate and train our own workforce for a 21st century economy. One of the ways we accomplish that is having universal pre-K available to our children, strengthening our K-12 public schools, and continuing to have top notch post-secondary educational institutions.

In addition, the low rate of homeownership among low-income earners and the segregation of low-income homeowners into areas where property values do not appreciate both have a significant impact on economic mobility— an impact that is likely to affect future generations if left unaddressed. We need to better locate affordable housing opportunities and work with stakeholders, especially private companies, to partner with the city to invest in neighborhoods. Doing this will bring equity to all involved, in more ways than one.

b. What would be your approach to economic development incentives, whether subsidies, tax abatements or use of the Chapter 380 tool under state law?

Effective economic development inevitably requires the use of incentives, such as subsidies, tax abatements, and 380 agreements, to encourage growth in certain neighborhoods. I support incentives for growth and development on a needs-based approach. Our use of data and subject matter experts to target neighborhoods where incentives can provide the greatest economic impact will be key to the effective execution of our economic development program. We should be using what public money we have to spur growth in areas that are decreasing or stagnant, while allowing the market and private investment to help build and update the needed infrastructure in many areas of town that are experiencing market-attracting growth.

When using these economic development tools we must make sure that the intended public purpose of the incentive is met through certain controls. The city must therefore execute these agreements through the use of disciplined business and legal practices— clearly outlined contracts, tangible measurement tools, strategic funding provisions and clear enforcement provisions, all of which work cohesively to protect taxpayer dollars and create better, and more enforceable, agreements. As far as I've been able to determine since launching my campaign, none of the 380 agreements that have already been executed have been audited to ensure that the project goals have been met. As mayor, I will ensure the city is holding itself and the developers accountable to the promises made in these agreements.

c. One economic development tool is the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. More than $100 million in property taxes are generated annually inside the city's TIRZs. Critics say these zones trap money in rich areas, worsening inequities across the city. Supporters say the zones drive development, and note that because they are exempt from the revenue cap, they generate revenue the city otherwise could not collect. What would be your approach to TIRZs?

TIRZs can play a key role in supporting the growth and development of parts of the city when utilized effectively. Much like incentives, we must employ a needs-based approach to determine where they can be effective and provide valuable economic impact. Local control and planning within these areas has contributed to additional growth and an increase in our tax base that has not only benefited those areas, but the city as a whole. That being said, we must also ensure that the taxpayer dollars in the TIRZs are being utilized transparently and efficiently, which likely requires a formal review of the existing TIRZ zones. As mayor, I will be interested in how TIRZ districts are spending their tax increments and I will be assertive in making sure that the 30 percent of TIRZ revenue that is to be set aside for affordable housing in the petition-created TIRZs is in fact being spent to further our city's housing needs.

Partnering with private investment and new growth can help continue to attract other investments within the city of Houston. I support incentives for growth and development on a needs-based approach. We should be using what public money we have to encourage growth where the market may not be responding, and we can better utilize private investment to help build and update the needed infrastructure in many areas of town that are responding to market demand.

8. Term limits: Should Houston switch to two four-year terms? Why or why not? If yes, when should this change take effect? This question was asked prior to council's vote to place the item on the Nov. 3 ballot.

No. The current term limits were set by the voters and I do not sense a clamor for change. Additionally, with the end of the campaign finance blackout rules, I believe for transparency and accountability's sake, Houston's elected officials should stand before the voters every two years.

9. HERO: Do you support the Equal Rights Ordinance passed by City Council last year? If not, would you alter or repeal it? This question was asked prior to council's vote to place the item on the Nov. 3 ballot.

I support the HERO ordinance. Throughout my entire career I have worked to increase diversity and equality wherever I have worked and I have always fought against discrimination. As mayor, I'll make sure the city is never in the business of denying any of its residents basic civil rights. As sheriff, our detention facilities were subject to the Prison Rape Elimination Act signed into law by President Bush in 2003. PREA provided certain protections and rights be provided to LGBT inmates. As a result of this federal law I directed my staff to implement a comprehensive policy to comply with the law. We implemented our policy ahead of the federal deadlines and became a national model for jails and correctional facilities.

Our efforts have been described as sweeping and groundbreaking. As I said to City Council at the time they were considering HERO, it is my firm belief that if inmates are afforded these types of rights and protections, then I believe law abiding residents should be as well.